As many as 300 junior athletes are expected at the National Sports Centre on Saturday when the third annual Bank of Bermuda Foundation/West End Athletic Club Schools Track and Field Challenge takes place.

As an added feature to the event, organisers are bringing in US Olympic track star Chryste Gaines who will share her wealth of knowledge and experience with competitors.

Gaines is a top 4x100 relay runner for Team USA, having won bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and gold in Atlanta 1996.

She also won a gold medal at the Pan-Am Games in 1995 in the 100 metres and was NCAA indoor champion over 55 metres and NCAA outdoor champion over 100 metres in 1992.

Locals will have the chance to meet Gaines at pre-race registration tomorrow and also at Sports R Us on Church Street from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The star American will also hold a clinic at the Bermuda High School's Jessie Vesey Sports Centre on Thursday from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30. Youngsters interested in attending can sign up at the pre-race registration tomorrow.

Saturday's meet is open to Primary, Middle and Secondary school students and all schools are being invited to enter teams of 12 athletes.

On hand for the meet again will be American Dwight Robins of Finishlynx Electronic Timing who will bring his state of the art equipment for the event - something that West End Athletic Club president Clarence Smith hopes to see installed at the stadium in the future.

"Securing the use of electronic timing equipment is essential for us in maintaining the standard of the event. The International Amateur Athletic Federation will no longer accept record times set with hand-timing devices and this equipment on the weekend will expose our athletes to it at an early stage and help to prepare them for the standards of overseas competition," said Smith.

"We are once again grateful to the Bank of Bermuda for their support of our track and field challenge. Through their support we are again able to bring our young athletes the benefit of electronic timing, and we are especially proud to have Chryste Gaines visit with our young athletes."

Bank of Bermuda spokesman David Lang said: "It's our pleasure to support the event again this year and see Bermuda's youth compete. It is a great credit to WEAC that not only are they maintaining internationally accepted standards on race timing, but inviting track champion Chryste Gaines to visit us. This event will be a great opportunity for all our young athletes to compete and learn."

Events included on the programme are the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 1500 metres, long jump, discus, shot putt, high jump, triple jump and relay races.